Stop-loss the surge

[lebkuchen]

The democrats must stop the loss of more lives, American and Iraqi, by ending Bush's plan for escalation. The majority of the military voted democratic in the last election, and I believe they did so in 2004. I haven't spoken to a single military member/dependent who supports Bush anymore. If you were to ask anyone providing support services to the military here overseas, from the Military Car Sales dealers to the barbers/hair dressers, they will tell you that 99.9% of the military family they deal with are opposed to George Bush and his policies.

It is incumbent upon the newly elected democratic congress to control the message and the policy, that there will be NO escalation in Iraq, in fact, just the opposite--we will bring the troops home. Succeed in that endeavor and the dems can count on the military vote for the millennium.

[MADem]

1. A stop-loss is when you prevent people from leaving service either at the end of their obligation

or via retirement. I am surprised the dumb Monkey didn't start stop-lossing people in October, the start of the new government fiscal year, to give him a few more boots on the ground in anticipation of this idiotic move.

The latest Military Times poll shows forty six percent of nitwits in the military identifying themselves as Republicans. The remainder, the smart ones, don't. Of course, I do believe that poll is skewed, as many of the "subscription customers" are in fact not individuals, but rather military commands (I had a subscription for every division--and the cost came straight out of the annual operating budget), and the responses to those surveys are most frequently filled out by the Chairborne Rangers and Keyboard Commandos sitting in air-conditioned spaces on plush leather chairs. I rather doubt poor Cpl. Schmuck, weighed down with body armor in a hot Humvee, has the time or inclination to respond to surveys. If he can get a decent internet connection, he's probably emailing home.

[lebkuchen]

2. I'm reinventing the word

just as Bush has reinvented "freedom" and "democracy."

Two can play that game.

To me, "stop loss" is a strange terminology in its standard use, since soldiers are prevented from leaving a war-time situation, as in today's scenario, where they are at risk of losing life or limb. As Bush has applied new meaning to "liberty" and "family values," I should be able to apply new meaning to "stop loss"-- stop the loss of life.

I should have put it in quotes, however.

This Stripes article, Troops downrange speak out on Iraq plans, was written by at least one right-wing Christian (I'm not familiar w/the other writer), who had been writing about military bar-be-que parties in Iraq shortly after "Mission Accomplished," with Iraqi-adapted recipes to boot. Cakewalk, right?

That she has included any negative troop comments is telling. Those that do show support also show their naivete, despite their being in the region. Amazing that after two, three, four deployments for some soldiers, that any one of them is saying, "I don't pay attention to politics," when politics has everything to do with their personal well-being. Maybe not having an opinion helps see him through his day of house searches and raids.

http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=42724